Authors: Elizabeth Squire
‘Are you really sure you want to bring this down upon your head?’ Nate asked, disbelief evident in the tone of his voice.
‘I don’t really see any other way around it. Do you?’ He shuddered. ‘The only downfall is that I shall have to admit the dragon into my den.’ The clock on the mantel piece interrupted their discussion, chiming four times. Sinclair checked his time piece against it. ‘Bother, I’m expected at my sister Marianne’s for tea. I’ll ask her whether she and Beechworth are available to attend. If so, she can act as my hostess.’
Nate stood and joined Sinclair by the door. In hush tones he outlined the remaining contents of Sir Avery’s note. ‘Since we have started digging around, asking questions about this Cousins’ Legacy, there have been a few worms begin to emerge from the wood pile. There is a consensus that there may have recently been a passing of the baton. Or at the very least, a successor is being groomed. We were already beginning to suspect that, but the alarming news is that they all believe that the heir is, for all intents and purposes, English. Born and raised here.’
Sinclair let out a hiss between his teeth. ‘Any suspects?’
‘Not yet. Most of it’s rumour and innuendo, but consistent. And that makes it worth taking note of.’
Sinclair nodded in agreement. ‘Right. Then we shall leave at the end of the week. What are you plans for this evening?’
‘None. I will be taking the precaution of cancelling our engagements for the interim. Meanwhile, I’ll have an extra watch put on the house.’ Nate slapped Sinclair on back in farewell. ‘Until tomorrow.’
***
Charlcroft Parke, May 1805
Five days later Liliane stepped from the carriage onto the crisp white stones lining Charlcroft Parke’s carriage way. She took a reviving breath and drank in the country air. It was liberating to be out of doors and standing in a large open space. While she appreciated the rationale behind it, the tedium of being cooped up inside for the past week had begun to test her nerves. But the house before her was magnificent, its yellow sandstone facade towering over the surrounding countryside.
‘Goodness,’ she murmured to Yvette, who now stood beside her, ‘Look at all of those windows. Can you imagine how splendid the upstairs galleries would look with all of that light streaming through?’
‘They’re divine,’ Yvette agreed, ‘I can’t wait to explore those gardens, they look like they’d have all sorts of hidden surprises.’
‘Miss Desailly?’ A tall woman with chestnut hair coiled into a chignon sailed down the stairs to the driveway. ‘I’m Lady Beechworth, Marianne, Esselton’s sister.’ Her resemblance to Sin was notable, save that her colouring was lighter and her eyes held a hint of hazel rather than the impenetrable brown of her brother’s. She smiled readily, though, displaying an amiable countenance that immediately put Liliane at her ease.
Liliane sunk into a curtsy, gesturing towards Yvette as she arose. ‘This is my cousin, Yvette Desailly. And please, call me Liliane. There’s nothing more confusing than when you have two persons answering to the same name and tripping over each other all of the time. Lady Carrick is travelling in her own coach. I believe she may be about an hour behind us.’
To Liliane’s surprise, Marianne leaned forward and placed a warm kiss on her cheek. ‘Welcome to Charlcroft Parke, Liliane. I have been waiting for this day. Come, let’s get you both settled. Guests have been arriving all day, it’s positively chaotic here. Don’t worry, though, I reserved rooms in the family wing for you ladies. Although,’ she confided conspiratorially, ‘I’ve had to put Lady Carrick in the guest wing with a couple of the other dowagers. Esselton insisted she’d be much more comfortable.’
More likely, Sin would be more comfortable with a greater distance between him and Great-Aunt Woolner.
Marianne maintained a dizzying stream of rapid fire chatter as she led them up to the second floor, telling them of the guests already in residence, and who else was expected to arrive. She breezed to a halt and led Liliane into an opulently appointed room decorated in tones of blue and cream with a view that did justice to the park lands and rolling countryside beyond.
‘Liliane, this is your room, and Yvette, you’re in the suite across the hallway. I’ll leave you ladies to get settled. The dinner gong will be sounded at six but we’ll assemble beforehand in the Rose Salon. Come down when you’re ready,’ she instructed, departing on a whirl of motion.
Yvette laughed. ‘Oh, what a delight she is, and absolutely nothing like Lord Esselton. He’s positively the most intense man I have ever met.’ She disappeared into her room, leaving Liliane to puzzle over her cousin’s assessment of Sin.
Liliane entered the room and closed the door behind her. Yvette just needed a little time to get to know Sin better. Admittedly, she had felt intimidated by Sin when she’d first met him, but it was that same strength and innate protectiveness that kept drawing her back to him.
Feeling as she did about him, it was no wonder she felt so chastised by his dismissal of her actions as those of a selfish child. She had avoided thinking about Sin’s assessment of her until now. But there was no denying there was an element of truth in his words. She had been the one to go in search of her destiny, and it was she alone who had made the decisions that had resulted in her present circumstances.
Only this wasn’t the destiny she had foreseen. She looked out the window onto the sweeping grounds of Charlcroft Parke. But just maybe, like it or not, this was the destiny fate had decreed. Now she just needed to work out how she was going to make amends to Sin. In the intervening week since their ill-fated picnic they had adroitly managed to avoid each other. This week was going to prove difficult in that respect, but there was no reason why she couldn’t turn that to her advantage.
***
‘The thing I love most about a house party is one always leaves with a first-hand account of the latest on dit. The trick is to be the first back to town to tantalise those unfortunates who weren’t so worthy of an invitation.’ The congenial blond giant smiled down at Liliane, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He held out his hand by way of introduction. ‘Cornelius Charlcroft, Sin’s cousin and reluctant heir.’
Liliane smiled broadly. ‘Liliane Desailly. I’ve heard that if I wish to win at charades I’m to make sure I’m on your team.’
‘I see Sin has been telling tales again. He’s still sore that my Gulliver won over his Robinson Crusoe.’ Cornelius flagged a passing waiter and procured two glasses of sherry. He surveyed the assembled guests and with a glint inquired, ‘Now, would you like me to tell you who you must avoid, who’s on a repairing lease and who has a fondness for their brandy?’
‘That doesn’t sound the least bit proper,’ Liliane laughed.
Cornelius linked arms with her. ‘Proper is utterly boring, let’s stroll around the room and see which mamas have got Sin in their sights this year.’ Liliane blinked, she hadn’t considered that Sin would be the target of the hopefuls and the desperate. As they strolled, Cornelius pointed out the drunkards, the dissolute and the despondent with a cunning that had Liliane in fits.
‘Cornelius, you are positively wicked. But please, there has to be some good among all of these people.’
He patted her hand. ‘Of course, my dear, the rest are genuinely saintly. But can you just imagine what droll conversation that makes for?’ He whistled low under his breath. ‘Now it gets interesting. The Lady Francesca Dennison, no doubt with claws sharpened and matrimony in her sights.’
On the far side of the room an almost indecently voluptuous woman encased in an emerald green gown cut low and tight paused at the doorway. Her blond hair was piled high with artless wisps falling to frame her heart-shaped face. She entered the room with a sinuous grace that did not fail to capture the admiration of every man, and the ire of every woman present.
Cornelius leaned down and whispered in her ear. ‘She is determined to wed Sin but Sin has long made it clear he has no intention of remarrying, although for reasons I can’t account, he keeps going back to her. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he capitulates soon.’
The breath evaporated from Liliane’s lungs. Remarry? Oh dear God. Sin had had a wife? Why hadn’t she known? A knot twisted in her heart as all the while she held her smile brightly. Feigning surprise, she prodded for more information. ‘Never say that Lord Esselton was married?’
Cornelius leaned closer. ‘Oh yes, quite the little scandal.’ With a placating gesture he elaborated. ‘To Carolyn Braxton. I never could stand that simpering
butter won’t melt in my mouth
chit. While Sin was off on some secret government mission, or whatever it is that he won’t tell us about, the little tartar took up with his groom. They ran off together, planned to start a new life in the Americas and all that, except the ship they were on floundered in a storm. Sin lost a wife and his faith in women that day.’
Liliane felt the room swim about her and momentarily closed her eyes to steady herself. The last remnants of hope she had of salvaging any of the wreckage she and Sin had strewn across each other’s paths were obliterated. This wasn’t just a passing boyhood crush that had broken his heart. This was a wife and a valued employee, people close to him, who had taken his trust and abused it in the most sordid way possible way.
And now he had a connection with
that
woman? She looked at her critically. She was beautiful, but there was nothing subtle about her;
obvious
was the word that came to mind. But Sin found her attractive, had most likely planned to take her as his marchioness.
So this was what it felt like to be eviscerated, her emotions hung, drawn and quartered for all the world to witness. What a humiliating way to find out, to discover that she had so naively exaggerated the significance of all she had shared with Sin. Even if she had never confided it to anyone other than herself. It was cringe-worthy to realise that, most likely, she had been nothing more than convenient, and a means to an end.
She concentrated on her breathing, one laboured breath after the other, desperate to retain her composure lest Cornelius notice her discomfort. With determination she drew on the last remaining reserves of dignity she had left and pushed those thoughts aside to be examined later, in a less public setting. ‘What a sad tale. I certainly wish Lady Dennison the best of luck then. Tell me, who else of interest is present.’
Unaware of the undertow of emotion besetting her, Cornelius prattled on. ‘Let me introduce you to Mr Godfrey. Beware, though, he may offer to teach you how to cheat at whist.’
‘Ah yes, but I may just accept.’ Her laughter sounded brittle to her ears, but Cornelius would not know he had so effectively crushed her with that little overview of his family history. They proceeded in the direction of Mr Godfrey when she noticed the other gentleman with whom he was talking. ‘Oh good grief,’ she tightened her grip on Cornelius’s arm and swung them in the opposite direction.
‘Someone you wish to avoid, my dear.’
‘Yes, I mean no, I—oh for pity’s sake.’ She gave him a look of apology. ‘I don’t wish to appear rude, but it would be my preference to avoid Mr Parkes.’
Cornelius winked. ‘Consider it done, most pompous bore if you ask me. Poor lad is so uptight he doesn’t even realise his own cravat is at risk of choking him. Ah, I see that nearly everyone is assembled, I expect we’ll sit for dinner shortly. It would be my pleasure to be your escort, Miss Desailly.’
‘That won’t be necessary, Cornelius.’ Sin’s voice, so close behind her, was unexpected. She flinched, feeling exposed and vulnerable. ‘Miss Desailly is to be seated with me during dinner, although I’m sure her lovely cousin, Miss Yvette Desailly, would be grateful for your escort.’
The features on Cornelius’s face arrested momentarily as he studied first Liliane and Sin, then looked to Lady Dennison before returning his attention to Liliane again. With a satisfied smile he relinquished Liliane’s arm to Sin. ‘I think I’m going to find this most diverting. Let the games begin,’ he chuckled, before leaving in search of Yvette.
Realising the direction of Cornelius’s words, Liliane attempted to withdraw her arm from Sin’s possession. The news that Cornelius had imparted upon her was achingly raw. She hadn’t had time to process it, wasn’t ready to have to sit alongside Sin and find the energy to be gracious and amusing. And she was not going to let him use her to taunt Lady Dennison. ‘I don’t think my safety warrants being seated next to you, my Lord. If I may be permitted, I should like to be seated near Albert Dudley. He is the brother of my dear friend Sara and is home from the Navy on leave. I should very much like to take this opportunity to catch up with him.’
‘Ah, but your friend Albert looks particularly delighted to be escorting Lady Dennison into dinner. You wouldn’t wish to deny him that pleasure, surely?’
‘No, but nor do I wish to submit to your company. I thought you would have had enough of my childish behaviour. In fact, I’m surprised you didn’t send me to the nursery to dine, seeing you find my actions so infantile,’ she hissed, hurt prompting her to seek refuge behind rudeness.
Sin flicked a fleck of lint from his sleeve. ‘I don’t believe I ever used the term infantile.’ He cast a lazy look about the room. ‘Jesus, Liliane, this is not the place for this discussion, but know that I’m sorry, I—’
‘Don’t, Sin. It’s said and done.’ Liliane bit the inside of her lip willing the tears not to fall.
***
‘Liliane, there you are. I feel we’ve walked three miles in and around this house in search of you.’ Yvette stopped and looked around the secluded patch of garden.
Liliane smiled and put her book aside as Yvette, leading the small party that included the Dudley siblings, joined her. ‘It’s such a divine day, I couldn’t resist the temptation to sneak an hour to myself.’
Sara stifled a yawn. ‘I couldn’t agree with you more. I had no idea that house parties could be so exhausting, I think I’m ready to go back to town.’
Albert laughed. ‘You’re only saying that because you want to see Gerald Longton again. Ooof!’ Albert manoeuvred away from his sister as she landed a well-aimed elbow to his ribs.